Wärtsilä Corporation has won contracts in the beginning of the year for propulsion systems for the seven-vessel Project Protector of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
The main contractor for the project is the Australian defence supplier Tenix Defence Pty Ltd, on behalf of the New Zealand Ministry of Defence. The project is for the supply of seven vessels: a 131m multi-role vessel (MRV), two 85m offshore patrol vessels (OPV) and four 55m inshore patrol vessels (IPV). They will be delivered from December 2006 onwards.
The vessels are intended for military and civilian roles in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), in the South Pacific and the Southern Ocean. As well as serving their military roles, they will conduct tasks for and with NZ Customs, Department of Conservation, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Fisheries, NZ Maritime Safety Authority and the NZ Police. The vessels will be used for sea-lifting personnel and cargo, emergency response, and fisheries and customs patrols. Both the MRV and OPVs will be strengthened to ice class 1C for service in the Ross Sea off Antarctica, and will also carry helicopters. The MRV will have a Ro-Ro capability with both stern ramp and side door for light armoured vehicles and other equipment, and will be equipped with two landing crafts.
The 131m-long MRV is being supplied to Tenix by the Merwede Shipyard in the Netherlands. It will be powered by two nine-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 32 engines with a combined power output of 9000 kW. Wärtsilä is also supplying twin Lips 4D1000 controllable-pitch propellers, two Lips CT175H transverse thrusters, one forward and one aft, and Deep Sea Seals sterntube bearings and seals.
The OPVs and IPVs will be constructed at Tenix shipyards in Australia and New Zealand. To these ships Wärtsilä will supply Lips controllable-pitch propellers, shaftlines and Deep Sea Seals sterntube and bulkhead seals. The 85m-long OPVs will each have two Lips 5C09 propellers and a Lips CT150H bow thruster, along with Deep Sea Seals sterntube seals and bulkhead seals. The 55m-long IPVs will each have two Lips 4D550 propellers and Deep Sea Seals sterntube seals.
The availability of local support both in Australia and New Zealand, and the excellent through-life cost performance and high reliability of the Wärtsilä products were major factors helping Wärtsilä to win these contracts. Wärtsilä is proud to now be one of the major propulsion suppliers of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
Media contact: Marit Holmlund-Sund Public Relations Manager, Ship Power Wärtsilä Corporation Direct tel: +358 10 709 1439 Direct fax: +358 10 709 1425 e-mail: marit.holmlund-sund@wartsila.com Internet: www.wartsila.com
